Comments (18)

Rob Kremer made a good point on this when the governor was shopping with food stamps. Raise the income threshold at which the state income tax kicks in and let folks buy groceries with their own money rather than taxing them too much and then providing them assistance.

I think it proper that everyone should pay something. Otherwise, people that don't even pay taxes could just vote for the rest of us to pay higher taxes, knowing that they themselves would be exempted, since they don't pay. It's little more than legal pocket-picking.

Oh, wait, nevermind...that's already happening at the Federal level, where a significant portion of the citizens don't pay any income tax whatsoever. But they still get to vote!

You know Oregon, if your single taxes = 9% above $6000 a year. I'd love it if we could ape Washington w/o an income tax, but then again, poor people pay sales tax also. Thank god for EIC for these people.

On the contrary.
According to the article:
Oregons effective tax rate at the poverty level seems to be %1.4
Below that at $15,500 not only is no tax owed but a refund of $136 is issued.
Unlike all the other states,the defining issue in Oregon's tax structure is there is NO sales tax.
I challenge you to find a more favorable deal anywhere.

At least at the federal level, low-income Americans/Oregonians pay no taxes of any kind. The Earned Income Tax Credit refunds not only all federal income taxes paid, but also Social Security and Medicare taxes paid. Happily, low-income folks are still eligible to collect from both these compassionate programs upon their retirement. Any questions about why both programs are going broke?

A capitalist economy requires that there be a range of incomes. Certain types of jobs will always pay less than others. This type of an economy needs low-income workers. Low-income workers are people with lives and families. Unless we're satisfied to think that low-income workers should provide their services for as long as they can survive with sub-standard housing, food, and healthcare, then die and make room for new, short-term disposable, low income workers, we might realize that low-income workers are serving this society and this economy simply by fulfilling their role, and before they pay one penny of taxes. To ask them to pay taxes, when they can barely afford decent housing, food, clothing and healthcare is not practical and doesn't even serve our economic system well. What it is, at it's core, is cruel and punitive. There is more than one way to pay one's fair share.

You know what is cruel and punitive?
It's after working and paying taxes for 37 years that I am continually confronted with this socialistic dogma.
What poor are you refering to?
The poor born here who had the same opportunities I had but didn't take them?
The newly immigrated poor who know they are better off being poor in a capitalist economy then being average in a socialist economy.
Or those who are poor on paper only...the underground cash based economy poor.
Even more irritating is you discount the value of my labors to society. I work just as hard as any of the "poor" yet you seem to think that only I should pay taxes.
Tax the rich! is your mantra and I quess that is me because I fall into the 50% of the wage earners who are paying 96% of the taxes.
You know you were right about one thing though. There is more than one way to pay one's fair share...community service...I've done it.

James, cut the drama. If you consider having to face dogma as punitive and cruel, when in reality you can simply ignore it, and we are talking about people who face poverty every day, you are not even seriously looking at this issue.

And I don't spout socialist dogma. I'm a realist who lives in a capitalist system. And capitalism is just fine by me.

By poor I simply mean those who fall below the poverty level, as was indicated in Jack's original post. I'm not a drama queen.

"I work just as hard as any of the "poor" yet you seem to think that only I should pay taxes."

There's nothing in my post that indicated that I think only you should pay taxes. And I never compared the effort of work that any person or economic class contributes.

"Tax the rich! is your mantra and I quess that is me because I fall into the 50% of the wage earners who are paying 96% of the taxes.
You know you were right about one thing though. There is more than one way to pay one's fair share...community service...I've done it."

Now I get it. It's all about you. Please ignore any post I make in the future James, because even if your mind is able to twist it around and make it all about you, I guarantee it's not about you at all. I will never write about you. Take my word for it.

When it comes to improving your standard of living, this country affords equality of opportunity for ALL...

"Mister Tee", c'mon. give some modest bit of proof for that. no, i dont mean "looka t person X, he got rich." i mean--show some proof that that America provides equal opportunity to the poor black kid born on the east side of Chicago that it does to the daughter of George Bush. or equal opportunity to a legal immigrant from Guadalajara that it does to a child of wealthy parents living in the West Hills.

Surely Mr. Tee and James, are absolutely sure that some people in the US have it better than they do. Some guys had a better start. Wealth, connections, intelligence, good-looks, charm, stable family, etc., are all things that can provide one with better access to opportunities. No doubt Mr. Tee and James have always been aware of those guys who had it better.

In view of this, it is curious that they would turn a blind eye to those who might not have it as good as they do. If some have it better, logic dictates that some must have it worse, unless James and Mr. Tee are at the bottom of the heap. We know that's not true.

Road Work

Miles run year to date: 155
At this date last year: 241
Total run in 2015: 271
In 2014: 401
In 2013: 257
In 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269